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Fight Night Nashville: Swanson vs Lobov – final results

Who were the winners at UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs Lobov? Click below to get the results for all the fights at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday, April 22, 2017.

Main event: Cub Swanson def. Artem Lobov

Artem Lobov came out strong in the first round and hung tough with Cub Swanson for 25 minutes, but in the end the veteran Swanson outclassed Lobov en route to a unanimous decision win, 49-46, 49-46, 50-45. Swanson landed at a 62 percent clip, landing 193 total strikes (168 significant) to 124 for Lobov. Both fighters landed a pair of takedowns and Swanson used his to get to Lobov’s back on two occasions but wasn’t able to attack with any submissions. Lobov was the clear loser in the decision but his effort was a real win because of the caliber of opponent in Swanson, who is poised to a title shot potentially next or with one more win.

THEY SAID IT: Cub Swanson : “I knew he was going to be dangerous in the early stages of the fight so my goal was to not get hit as much, work his body and slow him down. I know that my pace increases through the rounds and his decreases so the goal was to break him down. I wanted to take him into deep waters and wear him out. Once I saw how he was taking my power strikes in the first and second, Greg [Jackson] told me to stop trying to throw as much power and focus on volume. So, I tried to switch to that but, when you’re in the heat of it, you just want to throw bombs. I want the biggest fight possible. The title fight is right there and I want that, but we will see what’s next.”

Co-main: Al Iaquinta vs Diego Sanchez

It didn’t take long for Al Iaquinta to get comfortable once again inside the Octagon after a two-year absence. The New Yorker landed a huge right hand that rocked Diego Sanchez and then it was another right that KOed “Lionheart” to give Iaquinta the first-round KO win at . That’s now a five-fight win streak for Iaquinta who surely will reemerge as a ranked lightweight with a win over Jorge Masvidal on his resume.

THEY SAID IT: Al Iaquinta : “I’m on top of the world right now. It couldn’t have gone any better. This whole week… Everything has just been great. I visualized that exact moment over and over again. I also visualized the other side of this fight so it just couldn’t have gone better and I’m thankful for that. I don’t know who or what is next just yet. I’m going to go home and make those plans. I’m just thankful for this.”

Ovince Saint Preux def. Marcos Rogerio De Lima

Ovince Saint Preux became the first UFC/Strikeforce/Pride/WEC fighter to finish two fights with a Von Flue submission choke after he submitted Marcos Rogerio De Lima with the choke at 2:11 of the second round. OSP got touched a bit in the first round but the veteran came back in the second and established himself in the striking and rocked De Lima and then submitted him.

THEY SAID IT: Ovince Saint Preux : “Words can’t describe how I’m feeling right now. I knew I owed these fans a better performance than the last time they saw me and it all came together. I worked hard for this and I feel better than ever. I felt lighter coming in and I felt everything come together during the camp. Doing it here in my home state of Tennessee means so much to me. This is where I live, where I started my career… A lot of people don’t even realize that I recorded the first ever knockout in this state’s MMA history and, tonight, I got another big victory. I want to get back out there with a top guy soon but, tonight, I’m just so happy to have this victory.”

John Dodson def. Eddie Wineland

John Dodson did his best Floyd Mayweather impression, ducking and dodging his way to a runaway unanimous decision win, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27. Unofficially, Wineland landed just 13 percent of his total strikes thrown (13/97) as Dodson was able to pick apart the veteran to pick up his second win since his return to 135 pounds.

THEY SAID IT: John Dodson : “I told the crowd that they need to give Eddie Wineland the respect he deserves. Boo me all you like but stop booing him because he came out here to fight and that’s the thing I hate the most. Fans may not like every fight they see but they should show more respect than that to the people who are fighting their hearts out. I didn’t see the fight playing out that way either but Eddie is a very dangerous fighter so I had to be on the lookout for that right hand. I want anybody that’s willing to say yes. Everyone in this division has been saying no…. like [Raphael] Assuncao, Aljamain Sterling, TJ Dillashaw, Jimmie Rivera and everyone knows Bryan Caraway has said no to fighting me, like, 50-million times. The big names in this division are constantly ducking me because they don’t want to get hit by someone who is faster than them.”

Stevie Ray def. Joe Lauzon

Stevie Ray overcame a big first round from Joe Lauzon to capture the majority decision win (28-27, 29-27, 28-28). Lauzon landed five of seven takedowns but was dramatically out-struck by Ray, 139-65 in total strikes and 109-46 in significant strikes. Ray did most of his damage in the final round after Lauzon seemed to gas out a bit, landing 94 strikes (77 significant). Ray has now run two in a row and five of his last six overall.

THEY SAID IT: Stevie Ray : “I thought it was close so I wanted to finish out the third round strong. I knew his takedowns and top control during some of the fight could be held against me – even though I was being very active from the bottom – so I wanted to put it all on the table at the end. I expected this kind of fight from the beginning. Joe has all of those bonuses and that’s because he fights like a warrior. I knew he would be tough and that I’d have to be tougher. I want to main event Glasgow. UFC is coming on July 16th and I’ve earned my spot. I’m the #1 fighter from Scotland and it would be a dream come true to headline there. I’d like to fight Diego Sanchez so let’s see how he does tonight but, if not him, I’ll take anybody. I want that headline spot.”

Mike Perry added to his growing highlight reel with a brutal standing elbow knockout to open the main card at 1:05 of the second round. “Platinum” started the finishing sequence with a stunning left hook and finished it with a picture-perfect elbow shot as Ellenberger came forward with a strike of his own. Perry’s 10 wins have all been by knockout and that’s now three wins in the UFC as he improves to 10-1 overall.

THEY SAID IT: Mike Perry : “I felt great in there tonight. I was ready to redeem myself and show the world that the first two weren’t a fluke. I wanted to show everyone that I really do this every single day of my life. I had been setting up the left hook and the right elbow for this entire camp. We trained for something. I got to come here focused and calm and do what I trained for. I hope this moves me up in the division. I just beat one of the top 15 fighters in the world, someone who has been doing this for a long time, and I’m ready to beat even more of them. I’m not saying anyone’s name. I just want the best. The UFC can decide who I eat next.”

Thales Leites def. Sam Alvey

Thales Leites delivered a devastating leg kick to the ankle of Sam Alvey in the first round and the power puncher never seemed to be able to get comfortable. The Brazilian cruised to a unanimous decision win, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27. Leites landed one of seven takedown attempts in the fight, but Alvey out-struck Leites, 50-44 in total strikes.

THEY SAID IT: Thales Leites : “I knew that Sam is a very good fighter and well-rounded. He has good hands and a strong chin and he just kept going. I knew from watching him that he waits for someone to come close so I couldn’t give him that. I knew I didn’t want to get in close range and dirty box. So, my game plan was to try to take him down and, if I didn’t get it, I would stop trying for those so I wouldn’t waste energy. I kept my distance and the key was the leg kicks. This win means a lot for me. I know that the losses I had really set me back so my goal now is to rematch someone I’ve lost to. I would love to fight Jotko again but we will see what the UFC has in mind.”

Brandon Moreno def. Dustin Ortiz

Brandon Moreno is the embodiment of a rising prospect and “The Assassin Baby” is quickly going from prospect to rising star. The former Ultimate Fighter competitor picked up the biggest win of his young UFC career, submitting Dustin Ortiz with a rear naked choke at 4:06 of the second round. Ortiz was desperate to wrestle from the opening of the fight. Moreno defended six of 10 takedown attempts and eventually landed the fight-changing blow – a head kick that dropped Ortiz. The ensuing scramble led to Moreno taking Ortiz’s back and the submission. Moreno is 3-0 in the UFC and adds another ranked name to his resume.

THEY SAID IT: Brandon Moreno : “The first round was hard. Dustin Ortiz has really good grappling and wrestling. So, for the second round, I knew I needed to make some changes to my plan. I tried to be more aggressive and that kick comes really easy to me. I’ve practiced it for a long time and I found the right time to use it. The flyweight division is short so I feel that I am close to a title shot after beating three of the top guys. I think it’s going to take me one, maybe 2, victories to get to the title shot. I would like to fight Ray Borg but he has missed weight and I don’t like that so we will see. I’m going to go home, look at the Top 5 with my team and decide what is next.”

Scott Holtzman def. Michael McBride

Scott Holtzman was relentless in his pursuit of the finish against a tough Michael McBride, but he couldn’t find it before the 15 minutes were up. He’ll settle for a dominant unanimous decision win (30-27, 30-27, 30-26). Holtzman destroyed McBride’s lead leg with a brutal and consistent lead leg kick. McBride struggled to stand after the fight and had a massive welt in the target area. Holtzman out-struck McBride, 122-98 and landed 11 total significant strikes to just 53 for McBride.THEY SAID IT: Scott Holtzman : “I’m disappointed, honestly. It’s always great to win but I didn’t fight the way I wanted to tonight. I didn’t feel like I pulled the trigger. I felt like I was the aggressor and landing the more significant shots, but it was frustrating out there. The crowd was amazing, as they always are in Nashville, and they really carried me through this fight. I want to get back to the gym and come back better next time.”

Danielle Taylor def. Jessica Penne

Danielle Taylor picked up her second win in the UFC and first over a ranked opponent when she out-pointed Jessica Penne to win a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). Both women had their moments in the fight, and the numbers were close when the scorecards were turned in. But Taylor was able to stuff six of seven takedown attempts from Penne, who challenged Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the strawweight title back in 2015. Taylor landed at a higher percentage in the fight despite being out-struck, 70-67 in total strikes.

THEY SAID IT: Danielle Taylor : “That was a well-executed game plan. My whole team studied her like we were in a library preparing for a test. I knew I couldn’t let her get me to the ground so I was very prepared to get out of those situations and keep her on her feet. I believe I’m one of the best in the division and I want to be ranked. I believe I’m ready for a top 10 opponent.”

Alexis Davis def. Cindy Dandois

Alexis Davis out-struck Cindy Dandois, 97-84 (including a 47-26 advantage in significant strikes) to pick up the unanimous decision win (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in the featured bout on the UFC FIGHT PASS prelims. Dandois landed five of 11 takedowns in her UFC debut, but Davis was attacking off her back with submission after submission and had the debutant in trouble a few times on the canvas. Davis improves to 19-7 overall.

THEY SAID IT: Alexis Davis : “I have to give credit to Cindy. She had a very unique timing on her feet so it took me a while to get a read on her. It was a tough fight but I’m very happy to come out with a good win. A lot of people don’t know that I’ve been going through a lot in my personal life. I am a single mother so I’m always trying to find a good balance between being a mom and training but I have great people around me so that helped a lot with this camp. I don’t call the shots so I’m going to wait and see what the UFC has in store for me next. For now, I’m just excited to get home to my son and celebrate this win.”

Bryan Barberena def. Joe Proctor

Joe Proctor was game to bang with Bryan Barberena, but the Boston native couldn’t recover after “Bam Bam” landed a right hook on the chin. Barberena then swarmed, landing a few knees to the head and a flurry of punches on the ground to earn the TKO win at 3:30 of the first round. Barberena has now won three of four in the UFC and improves to 13-4 overall.

THEY SAID IT: Bryan Barberena : “He put out his arms and said ‘come on’ and I said ‘let’s go’ and we were just ready to throw down. I’m always down for that. That’s the best situation for me. There was someone who I was told wanted to fight me. I accepted that fight and then, for some reason, it didn’t happen. He’s on this card tonight. I won’t say his name until we see the results of tonight but I don’t want him to keep running from me! I’m right here and I’m ready to take him on. So, we’ll see how he does tonight but I’m ready. Let’s go.”

Hector Sandoval def. Matt Schnell

It was a back-and-forth first round between Hector Sandoval and Matt Schnell. The two had a few fun exchanges on the feet and it was Sandoval that landed the first big blow, sending Schnell to the floor. But Schnell recovered and even had a guillotine choke in for a moment. Sandoval was too much in the end, landing a big slam and then ending the fight with a series of hammer fists to knock out Schnell at 4:24 of the first round. Sandoval improves to 2-1 in the UFC after picking up his second win in a row.

THEY SAID IT: Hector Sandoval : “He had the choke in deep but I just tried to stay cool. I’ve been in that position before and I’ve actually been able to finish from there before too so I just knew I’d find a way out. I train with the best fighters on the planet and this is what we do. I’ve been at Team Alpha Male for 8 years and I’ve seen people come and go but we are the best we’ve ever been right now and we are proving that every time we step in the Octagon. I want to run it back with Wilson because I didn’t get a full camp and I know I can beat him. If it’s not him, I want Henry [Cejudo] next or anybody else in the top five.”